Central Oklahoma Air Quality Alerts for Central Oklahoma

Actions to protect your health and reduce emissions.

The Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) Central Oklahoma Air Quality Alert notification system (text and/or email) helps residents, businesses, industry, and government agencies in the ACOG region — including Canadian, Cleveland, Logan, and Oklahoma counties — stay informed about air quality conditions that may impact public health.

Healthy Air Risk alerts are issued when weather and air quality conditions may lead to elevated levels of air pollution, including ground-level ozone, in Central Oklahoma. These alerts encourage voluntary actions that can help reduce emissions and protect public health.

Poor air quality can be harmful to human health, especially for children, older adults, people with asthma or other respiratory conditions, individuals with cardiovascular disease, and people who spend significant time outdoors, including outdoor workers.

On Healthy Air Risk Alert days, residents are encouraged to take precautions to reduce exposure and limit activities that contribute to air pollution. Recommended actions may include reducing vehicle trips, limiting engine idling, postponing use of gasoline-powered equipment, and avoiding prolonged outdoor exertion during periods of poor air quality.

Ground-level ozone is one of the most common pollutants affecting air quality in Central Oklahoma. Ozone forms when emissions called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), often produced by vehicles and other combustion sources, react in sunlight and heat. These conditions are most common during hot, sunny, and stagnant weather, but unhealthy air quality can occur during other times of the year as well.

The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ), in coordination with the National Weather Service, forecasts air quality conditions that may lead to elevated pollution levels in Central Oklahoma. Based on these forecasts, ACOG may issue a Healthy Air Risk Alert using Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Air Quality Index (AQI) categories ranging from Good to Hazardous.

Air pollution can affect both urban and rural communities, as pollutants such as ozone and smoke may travel long distances depending on weather conditions and wind patterns.